Microcontroller(.mu.C)-controlled instruments are presently in use in many applications. In many cases, these instruments have been in use for several years with software developed prior to their initial installation. The capacities of many such instruments have, in many cases, been reached or exceeded by the demands of their applications, and yet the instruments have not been replaced. In some instances, cost is a significant factor in the decision to continue using such an instrument the capabilities of whose computational hardware, or software, or both, have been reached or exceeded.
Frequently, the designers of the hardware or software the capacity of which has been reached or exceeded are no longer available to assist in upgrading software and/or hardware to improve its capacity. In other cases the designers of such hardware or software choose not to cooperate with a distributor or user in upgrading hardware or software to improve instrument capability. In most instances, the instrument systems; are provided with user interfaces such as video and keyboard or keypad ports through which video display terminals and keyboards or keypads can be coupled into the systems. These give users the ability to monitor system operations and enter instructions and data into the system.
It is a primary object of the invention to use such interfaces to extend and enhance the flexibility, capacity and computational power of such systems.